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The Rochester Americans erased the bad taste of last week's 8-1 season-opening loss to the Grand Rapids Griffins with a fairly solid 4-1 victory over the Utica Comets on Friday night.

Luke Adam scored two goals and Dan Catenacci and Kevin Sundher each scored one. Goalie Matt Hackett was really good -- like big-saves-at-the-key-moments good -- and the team's glaring mistakes were held to a manageable number.

If an opposing team with two or three wanna-be tough-guys wants to play playground bully, they'll be able to do so. There is no one on the Amerks bench that, from their mere presence or their willingness to dole out on-ice justice, to prevent it.

The Amerks didn't worry about this last season. They had Nick Tarnasky. He was tough, and opponents knew he was more than willing to play on the edge -- and beyond. He was, however, very honest and sportsmanlike in his approach. He didn't pick on little guys. He didn't look for trouble very often. But he did make sure it didn't start.

This year, while the Amerks have some players that can handle themselves and even stick up for teammates -- Drew Bagnall, Colton Gillies and Jamie Tardif head that list -- they need those players on the ice, not throwing punches with four-minute-a-game role players.

It's beyond puzzling why the parent Buffalo Sabres would allow their development team to be without the on-ice policeman. They made sure to address the toughness issue in Buffalo last season by signing John Scott.

But they found no reason to find someone for the Amerks, even though there is a much greater propensity for stupidity and mayhem in the AHL.

There are a great deal tough-guy AHLers chasing the NHL payday. Show you can beat up the established heavyweight down here -- or cause chaos against a skilled team -- and you could end up cashing in for three-quarters-of-a-mill next year.

The NHL may be on the way to banishing fighting, but it isn't gone yet. It hasn't left the AHL, either.

On Friday, when down 4-1, the Utica Comets showed no fear and plenty of desire to stir things up. Shoves after whistles. A face-wash here and there.

Then former Amerk defenseman Alex Biega actually delivered a check that sparked a scrum with 6.7 seconds remaining. He drove the head of Colin Jacobs into the boards with a hit from behind.

A boarding minor was called immediately, but all players on the ice ended up in a dance. Jacobs wound up on the bottom with Darren Archibald on top of him. All other players were pried away, and the linesmen played crossing guard and asked Archibald to please be very nice and go to his room.

Linesmen are instructed to stay with the original combatants and not stray to others, especially when one of the others is the ever-dangerous Frederick Roy. It's not too often that 5-foot-10, 168-pound flyweights are going to cause any real damage or destruction.

Yet they believed he was much more dangerous and released the 6-foot-3, 212-pound Archibald.

Within a few seconds, Archibald came back to Jacobs and gave him a fairly violent shove. The players then grabbed one another -- except Jacobs had nothing to grab.

Archibald had taken off his sweater so there was no way for Jacobs to restrain him. And Amerks coach Chadd Cassidy said Jacobs was already a bit vulnerable from the check in to the boards.